Oakmont girls pick up key victory over Lunenburg

ASHBURNHAM -- After a long layoff, the Wachusett League C opener went as well as the Oakmont Regional girls' basketball squad had hoped.

The Spartans broke a sluggish start for both teams, as they built a commanding 15-point lead early in the second half before Lunenburg fought back cutting it to six early in the fourth, but the Oakmont defense shifted back into gear as the Spartans secured the 52-39 victory over the Blue Knights at home on Tuesday night.

Oakmont gets back up to .500 with the win, improving to 4-4 (1-0) on the season. The Spartans next have a brutal stretch as they face Gardner, Tyngsboro, and Narragansett in the next 10 days. Lunenburg falls to 1-4 (0-2), and will host Clinton on Friday.

"It was a slow start," Oakmont Regional head coach Jeff O'Neill said. "Then we kind of picked up, and after that we kind of sat back, and got careless defensively. The effort was there, but we were giving them the lane and they were taking advantage of it. I give Lunenburg credit."

Of Oakmont's 52 points, 40 came from three players. Sharpshooter Amanda Wood led the stat sheet with a game-high 18 points, while point guard Rachel Quaye netted 12 points and Josie Dearborn contributed with 10.

"(Wood) works her tail off," O'Neill said. "(Quaye) tries to get the ball to her. (Wood) is the first one to come to practice and the last one to leave. She's just a good shooter, a good player, and good overall kid.

Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter, as Lunenburg shot 1 for 12 from the floor (8.3 percent), and Oakmont was only slightly better. The Spartans only hit one field goal through the first six and half minutes, then heated up at the end of the quarter finishing up at 4 for 18 (22.2 percent).

Two deep shots from Wood and fastbreak layup from Quaye gave the Spartans a 9-3 first-quarter lead. The lead rose to eight, before shots from O'Connell and Alaina Johansson fell to drop it down to four early in the second quarter.

Oakmont embarked on a 8-3 run during a two-minute stretch, with a trey from Wood, three made freebies, and a transition bucket from Quaye, which made it 19-10 with 4:05 left until halftime.

In the closing 30 seconds Dearborn popped a jumper from the foul line, and Quaye got a bucket to drop on the run, which gave Oakmont a 30-18 halftime lead.

The Oakmont lead hit 15 twice in the opening four minutes of third quarter. But then Lunenburg jetted out on a 13-4 spurt over the next 4:40.

To start the run, the Blue Knights controlled the paint as Hudson netted two putbacks and O'Connell scored a bucket in the trenches which cut the deficit to 37-29.

Oakmont's Kayla Costa stunted the hot streak, with back-to-back buckets, but Hastings' buzzer-beater cut the deficit to 41-31 at the end of three.

Two quick strikes to open the fourth quarter -- one from Erin Stern on a rebound and another from Hastings from the elbow -- chopped the Oakmont lead to 41-35.

But Oakmont did not give in, as Rachel Testa drained a jumper from the corner, and Wood sank mid-ranger from the foul line. A Testa made free throw with 2:53 left gave Oakmont a 48-37 lead and the Spartans sank four freebies down the stretch to ensure the victory.

"Oakmont is a good team that executes very well," Lunenburg head coach Frank Greene said. "We knew if they pressured us that would force some turnovers. We've got to handle this pressure a little bit better, otherwise teams are going to keep doing it. We have to be a little bit smarter at the end of games."

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